Citizens Juries

Michael Wills: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on how many occasions her Department consulted citizens' juries on departmental policies in the last five years; in how many of those consultations the recommendations of the citizens' jury differed from existing departmental policy; and on how many occasions departmental policy was changed to reflect the recommendations of the citizens' jury.

Jim Knight: As part of the 'GM Nation?' public debate on genetically modified crops and food, a number of organisations set up citizens' juries to consider the issues and contribute to the debate. The outcome from such juries and hundreds of public meetings informed the advice from the independent GM debate steering board set up by the Government. This advice was taken into account in determining the Government's GM policy statement published in 2004.
	In 1999 there was a national consensus conference organised by UK CEED to discuss a way forward with radwaste management which included expert witnesses, including Defra, giving evidence to a Citizen's Panel of 12. The panel then produced a report called "Final Report of the UK National Consensus Conference on Radioactive Waste".

Departmental Catering Budget

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what her Department's policy is on the procurement of fair trade produce for consumption on its premises.

Jim Knight: The department policy on the procurement of fair trade produce is that farm assured produce, organic food and fair trade products should be promoted and all feature on the menu on a daily basis. Contracts are measured against this requirement. All hospitality beverages (teas, coffees and chocolate) served within Defra premises is fair trade produce.
	The hon. Member may wish to refer to the Defra website where further detail can be found in the "Catering Services Food Procurement Toolkit": which is designed for the use of Public Sector organisations. http://www.defra.gov.uk/farm/sustain/procurement/toolkit.htm. Pages: 6, 16, 37, 38, 79, 93, and 129. refer to fairly traded produce.

GM Crops

Joan Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the impact of terminator seed technology on free access to genetic resources.

Elliot Morley: Terminator technology (genetic use restriction technologies or GURTs) involves a wide range of technically complex, inter-related issues that are evolving rapidly. While the Government keeps abreast of the potential impact of this technology on a range of stakeholders, we have not undertaken a specific study into the impact on free access to genetic resources.
	We do however monitor developments in the genetically modified (GM) field overall and seek stakeholder views more generally. In 2003, we initiated the "GM nation" public debate which sought to explore the public's views on GM crops and food. All GM issues were open for debate but we did not seek specifically views on GURTs. We regularly meet with relevant stakeholders to keep abreast of their views on all GM matters and GURTs have been raised on occasion. We also monitor development in the scientific press and the wider media.

Climate Change Levy

Vincent Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much in climate change levy was paid by three-digit industry categories since it was introduced; and on what percentage of industry output the levy was charged.

John Healey: It is not possible to break down climate change levy receipts by three-digit industry categories or calculate the percentage of industry output covered. This is because HM Revenue and Customs collect the levy from energy suppliers, not individual businesses. However, estimates of climate change levy by industry sector are available in the Cambridge Econometrics report, "Modelling the Initial Effects of the Climate Change Levy" (at Appendix D), published at Budget 2005.

Departmental Expenditure

Oliver Heald: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much was spent on entertainment by his Department in 2004–05; and how much of that sum was accounted for by (a) food, (b) alcohol, (c) staff and (d) accommodation.

Ivan Lewis: The Treasury's expenditure on official entertainment for 2004–05 was £213,000. Further analysis could be provided only at disproportionate cost. All expenditure on official entertainment is made in accordance with published departmental guidance on financial procedures and propriety, based on the principles set out in "Government Accounting".

HM Revenue and Customs

Andrew Turner: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what criteria he uses to decide whether the HM Revenue and Customs logo may appear on a commercial product; and whether HM Revenue and Customs endorses any tax calculation products which do not include the full UK tax return.

Dawn Primarolo: holding answer 31 January 2006
	HMRC authorises suppliers to use its logo only in cases where there is clear benefit to the Department and its relationship with its customers.
	PAYE products produced by a third party can carry the following message if they have achieved HMRC's Payroll Standards: "Tested and meets HM Revenue & Customs Payroll Standard". This message does not include the HMRC logo.
	In addition, although HMRC does not endorse any of these products, the Self Assessment Filing Partner logo was developed for those software vendors who entered into an agreement with HMRC to jointly promote their SA filing online services.

Lisbon Agenda

Keith Vaz: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will assess British progress in fulfilling the criteria of the Lisbon Agenda; when he expects the UK to have fulfilled those criteria; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: At the 2005 Spring European Council, European leaders agreed to re-launch the Lisbon Strategy with a renewed emphasis on Growth and Jobs. Since 2001, average GDP growth has been 2.3 per cent. in the UK compared to just 1.4 per cent. in the euro area. The UK is also one of just three member states that meet all three Lisbon employment targets. And as set out in the Chancellor's Pamphlet "Global Europe: Full Employment Europe" (October 2005), the UK has an ongoing economic reform agenda for Europe.

Population

David Amess: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his estimate is of the current population of (a) each Essex borough and (b) each ward in Southend West constituency based on (i) the 2001 Census, (ii) electoral rolls and (iii) health service users; and what projections he has made for the next five years.

Ivan Lewis: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 14 February 2006
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your question regarding the current population of (a) each Essex borough and (b) each ward in Southend West constituency based on (i) the 2001 Census, (ii) electoral rolls, and (iii) health service users; and what projections have been made for the next five years. (50479)
	The tables attached provide the information you have requested. Data for Essex local authorities, including the former Essex authorities of Southend-on-Sea and Thurrock, are shown in Table 1 and Table 2. Data for wards in Southend West are shown in table 3.
	ONS publishes annual mid-year population estimates. The latest estimates are for mid-2004 and are given in Table 1. These mid-year population estimates are calculated using a robust methodology and are the best estimates of the resident population in an area. They are based on aged-on 2001 Census data adjusted for births, deaths, and net migration. Further information on the methodology can be found at:
	www.statistics.gov.uk/StatBase/Product.asp?vlnk=575.
	Population projections for each local authority in Essex, for mid-2005 to mid-2010, are also given in Table 1. These projections are based on the mid-2003 population estimates and are the latest population projections available. They assume that trends in fertility, mortality and migration at the time of the mid-2003 population estimate will continue into the future.
	Electoral rolls provide counts of the number of people registered to vote. The latest available data, on the local/European electorate and the Parliamentary electorate, for local authorities in Essex can be found in the Table 2. These data are for 1 December 2004. It should be noted that the number of people eligible to vote is not the same as the resident population aged 18 and over. There are numerous reasons for this. For example not everyone who is usually resident is entitled to vote (foreign citizens from outside of the EU and Commonwealth, prisoners, etc. are not eligible), some people do not register to vote and people who have more than one address may register in more than one place. Further, there is inevitably some double counting of the registered electorate as electoral registration officers vary in how quickly they remove people from the registers after they have moved away from an area or after they have died. These factors have a differential impact from area to area.
	The number of people registered with a GP, living in each local authority in Essex, in July 2004, can also be found in the Table 2. It should also be noted that patient register counts differ from estimates of the usually resident population for a number of reasons.
	Patient registers include people who are in the country for at least three months, whereas population estimates are based on a usual residence definition requiring a stay of 12 months or more. The patient registers exclude individuals who are ineligible to be registered with a GP. People may be on a patient register after having left the country and not deregistered with their GP; similarly people may have moved to another area and not re-registered. Some patients may have more than one NHS number e.g. they may have been issued a temporary number for a short period. Again, these factors have a differential impact from place to place.
	Ward data are shown in Table 3; the points set out above also apply to wards. However, there are some further points to note for wards.
	The most recent population estimates for wards are for mid-2002. The closest available geography to current electoral wards, for which population estimates are available, is Census Area Statistics (CAS) wards. This geography was created for outputs from the 2001 Census and is based mainly on 2003 electoral wards. The CAS ward level population estimates have been published with the status of "experimental statistics". Therefore, the estimates, and figures derived from them, should be treated with some care. The margin of confidence for population estimates is proportionately larger at ward level than at local authority level.
	The ONS does not produce projections of population at ward level.
	Table 3 contains CAS ward electorate counts for December 2002 and 2004 as well as patient register figures for July 2002 and July 2004. The 2002 figures are given for comparison with population estimates and 2004 are the latest available data.
	Finally, the local government electorate is definitionally closer to the population estimates, however these data are not available at ward level. Hence, the Parliamentary electorate is shown.
	
		Table 1: Mid-2004 population estimates and mid-2005 to mid-2010 population projections (2003-based )
		
			 Thousand 
			  Population estimate Population projections(9) 
			  Mid-2004 Mid-2005 Mid-2006 Mid-2007 Mid-2008 Mid-2009 Mid-2010 
		
		
			 Southend-on-Sea 159.6 161.0 161.4 161.8 162.3 162.8 163.4 
			 Thurrock 145.7 147.6 148.8 150.0 151.1 152.3 153.5 
			 
			 Basildon 166.5 166.9 167.2 167.5 167.8 168.2 168.6 
			 Braintree 136.2 138.7 140.6 142.4 144.1 145.8 147.5 
			 Brentwood 70.2 69.4 69.3 69.2 69.2 69.1 69.1 
			 Castle Point 86.8 87.6 87.9 88.2 88.4 88.7 89.0 
			 Chelmsford 159.8 159.2 159.6 159.9 160.4 160.8 161.2 
			 Colchester 160.7 160.3 161.1 161.9 162.7 163.5 164.3 
			 Epping Forest 121.3 121.8 122.1 122.4 122.7 123.1 123.5 
			 Harlow 77.5 77.9 77.9 78.0 78.1 78.2 78.3 
			 Maldon 60.3 61.5 62.1 62.8 63.5 64.1 64.8 
			 Rochford 79.1 80.0 80.5 81.0 81.5 82.0 82.4 
			 Tendring 141.5 143.7 145.2 146.6 148.1 149.6 151.0 
			 Uttlesford 70.4 70.7 71.0 71.3 71.7 72.0 72.3 
		
	
	(9) The population projections shown in this table are taken from the 2003-based subnational population projections, the latest set of projections currently available. Therefore they may not be consistent with the 2004 mid year estimate presented in the first column.
	Source:
	Office for National Statistics
	
		Table 2: Electoral register counts (December 2004) and patient register counts (July 2004)
		
			  Electors(10) Parliamentary electors(11) Patient register 
		
		
			 Southend-on-Sea 125,485 124,491 176,781 
			 Thurrock 107,264 106,736 148,941 
			 
			 Basildon 127,487 126,889 179,677 
			 Braintree 105,204 104,658 141,950 
			 Brentwood 53,277 52,838 75,669 
			 Castle Point 69,378 69,188 92,654 
			 Chelmsford 126,748 125,948 167,686 
			 Colchester 123,060 121,535 167,076 
			 Epping Forest 92,249 91,429 127,977 
			 Harlow 55,609 55,172 84,296 
			 Maldon 46,111 45,931 63,449 
			 Rochford 63,384 63,212 83,699 
			 Tend ring 109,242 108,839 142,897 
			 Uttlesford 54,873 54,323 74,976 
			 
			 Southend West Constituents 65,523 65,070 91,494 
		
	
	(10) Local government electors are those people who are entitled to vote in local elections and who meet the residence qualification. These include Peers and European citizens but exclude overseas voters.
	(11) Parliamentary electors are those people who are entitled to vote in parliamentary elections at Westminster and who meet the residence qualification. Those include overseas voters but exclude Peers and European citizens.
	Source:
	Office for National Statistics.
	
		Table 3: CAS wards in Southend West parliamentary constituency: population estimates, 2001 census, electorate counts, and patient register counts
		
			
			 Ward code Ward name Population Estimate Mid-2002 Electorate December 2002 Electorate December 2004 Patient Register July 2002 Patient Register July 2004 
		
		
			 00KFMP Belfairs 8,871 7,315 7,373 9,426 9,568 
			 00KFMQ Blenheim Park 10,035 7,565 7,684 10,805 10,816 
			 00KFMR Chalkwell 9,287 7,221 7,368 10,387 10,356 
			 00KFMS Eastwood Park 9,343 7,555 7,663 9,787 9,929 
			 00KFMU Leigh 9,004 6,998 7,120 9,727 9,794 
			 00KFMX Prittlewell(12) 9,575 7,617 7,521 10,267 10,429 
			 00KFMY St Laurence 9,678 7,468 7,597 10,139 10,154 
			 00KFNE Westborough 10,214 6,873 7,102 11,014 11,113 
			 00KFNF West Leigh 8,668 6,886 6,931 9,210 9,335 
		
	
	(12) This ward also falls within Rochford and Southend East Parliamentary Constituency. Data for the whole ward are shown, as it is not possible to split this data for this ward into the two constituencies.
	Notes:
	1. The mid-2002 ward population estimates are consistent with the published mid-2002 local authority estimates (September 2004 revisions).
	2. Whilst the ward population estimates are produced down to unit level, it is not implied that the estimates are accurate to this level of detail.
	3. The electorate counts are taken from the statutory RPF 29 returns.
	Source:
	Office for National Statistics

Decommissioning

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what amount of arms has been decommissioned by Loyalist paramilitaries in each of the last five years.

Shaun Woodward: In December 1998, the LVF decommissioned what the IICD described as a "small but significant" quantity of arms. Since then, the IICD has not reported any decommissioning by Loyalist groups.

Electoral Registration

David Crausby: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what assessment her Department has made of the accuracy of the electoral register.

Harriet Harman: The joint Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and Constitutional Affairs Select Committee's March 2005 report "Electoral Registration" included evidence on the accuracy of the electoral register.
	In December 2005, my Department made an assessment of electoral registration rates in London which estimated that some 550,000 eligible adults in London were not registered to vote.
	This assessment followed Electoral Commission's report "Understanding Electoral Registration", published in September 2005, which estimated that around 3.5 million people in England and Wales were eligible to be on the register at their main residence but were missing from it in 2000.
	My Department is currently working with a number of partners to promote awareness of electoral registration in London where the issue of under-registration is most acute. The Department also considers the issue of the accuracy of electoral registers in relation to the development of policies to prevent and detect electoral fraud.

Inquests (Oxfordshire)

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many inquests on military fatalities are outstanding at Oxfordshire's coroner's court.

Harriet Harman: The Oxfordshire coroner has informed me hat of the 103 military and other fatalities where bodies have been returned from Iraq since 2003, 30 inquests have been concluded, two cases have been transferred to other coroners, 11 inquests are due to be concluded within the next few weeks and in 60 cases a date for the inquest is yet to be fixed.

Magistrates Courts

Wayne David: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what account is taken of a tenderer's previous performance in the evaluation of tenders for provision of enforcement services to magistrates' courts.

Harriet Harman: Previous performance within similar contracts was taken account of at appropriate stages of the procurement exercise for enforcement services for HMCS. In particular it was a factor in the "pre-qualification stage" in the evaluation process. At this stage those wishing to tender were evaluated against a number of factors to assess that they were a suitable and viable company, which could meet the needs of the specified requirement, and could therefore be invited to tender.

Vandalism

David Davies: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs if she will list the acts of vandalism which have been perpetrated (a) inside and (b) on the outside of her Department's buildings in the last 12 months.

Harriet Harman: For DCA Headquarters buildings:
	(a) one internal incident, hen a vending machine was dislodged from a wall; and
	(b) one external incident, when an individual threw paint against the entrance.
	For the courts estate, DCA's courts and tribunals reported a total of 18 incidents of damage to property in the period from 1 January to 31 March 2005:
	(a) internal incidents at: Llanelli county court (damage to furniture); Southwark Crown court (twice flooded toilets); Blackfriars Crown (damage to internal door); Birkenhead county court (sign ripped down); Swindon combined court (cell door damaged); and
	(b) external damage at Carmarthen county court (windows broken twice); Romford county court (crest removed from front); Chelmsford county court (car park barrier arm damaged); and eight incidents involving graffiti and minor damage at Loughborough Immigration Appellate Authority.
	Since April 2005, when Her Majesty's Courts Service was formed, it has had 85 reported acts of damage to property in the period to 31 December 2005. Detail is held locally, including the nature of the damage or cause, and whether incidents were internal or external. Obtaining such an analysis would involve disproportionate cost.

Company Law

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will seek to introduce legislation to require companies to publish details of their transfer pricing policies.

Alun Michael: Transfer pricing describes the charge or cost that is made when one company transfers or "sells" a product to another company within the same group of companies (often in different countries). There are no Companies Act disclosure requirements; there are tax implications that are governed by guidelines and requirements.
	We have no plans to introduce legislation to require companies to publish details of their transfer pricing policies.

Gas Supplies

Denis MacShane: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of whether speculation is distorting the market for gas prices.

Malcolm Wicks: In spring 2005, the DTI commissioned a detailed report by Global Insight, an energy consultancy, on the operation of the UK gas forward markets. This is available at http://www.dti.gov.uk/energy/publications/policy/forward_gas_markets.pdf. The report concluded, among other things, that the UK gas forward market was "a functional hedging and trading market, free from major distortions and market abuse, with efficient price-formation outside of short spike periods". However, the report also said that, whilst the market was functionally liquid, more could be done to boost confidence in it and encourage participation by banks, traders etc. The DTI and Ofgem have therefore been discussing with the Futures and Options Association (FOA) why there is not more participation in the forward market and whether there are any barriers to entry. Following a roundtable with some of its members on 6 December, the FOA has developed a programme of actions to try to improve liquidity.

Migrant Workers from Poland

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what measures he is taking to ensure that migrant workers from Poland are protected under UK employment laws.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Legal migrant workers in the UK have the same employment rights and recourses as their indigenous equivalents.
	We are aware that migrant workers may face difficulties in understanding and asserting their rights. We have offered to work with the Governments of all the new member states, to prepare bi-lingual "know before you go" leaflets giving advice on questions to ask before leaving the country and on legal protections offered to workers including agency workers.
	To date we have produced leaflets in partnership with the Polish and Lithuanian Governments, and are in discussions with other Governments. The two existing leaflets followed a similar leaflet we produced in partnership with the Portuguese Government, and benefited from input from the TUC, the CBI and other stakeholders. These leaflets have been distributed widely in both the workers' home country and the UK. In Poland, for example, they have been publicised on television and our embassy and the Polish authorities have worked hard to distribute them via job centres, recruitment fairs and other channels. The text of the leaflets is also available on the DTI website—http://www.dti.gov.uk/er/agency/migrant_workers.htm.

Public Transport

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps his Department has taken to ensure greater access to public transport for people with disabilities and visual impairments.

Karen Buck: We are committed to providing an accessible public transport system. We have regulated to ensure that all new trains, buses and coaches are accessible to disabled people. We made provision in the Disability Discrimination Act 2005 to extend the "right of access" disabled people already have to other services to transport and to introduce other measures to improve accessibility.

Aircraft Noise

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what definition of excessive noise his Department uses in documents relating to (a) the noise from aircraft and (b) other civil aviation matters;
	(2)  pursuant to his Department's consultation on night flying restrictions, how he plans to measure the effectiveness of the proposals to bear down on noise.

Karen Buck: We have stated in consulting on our proposals for night flying restrictions at Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted that one of our broad aims is
	"to strike a fair balance between the protection of local communities from excessive aircraft noise levels at night and the provision of air services at night where they are of benefit to the national, regional or local economy".
	The expression 'excessive noise' does not apply to a specific level of aircraft noise: what is excessive will vary according to locations and individuals.
	Based on research, the Government use various measurements of aircraft noise as indicators of disturbance or of potential annoyance, or as criteria for mitigation measures, including advice for land use planning purposes.
	'Bearing down' on night noise from aircraft arriving at or departing from Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted is expressed by the new proposed environmental and night noise abatement objectives for the airport on which we invited comments as part of the consultation on night flying restrictions.
	The final objectives will be announced as part of the decision on future night flying restrictions. The way in which their effect in practice will be assessed will depend on what the objectives are.

Emissions

John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what proportion of total UK emissions he estimates will be provided by aviation in (a) 2030 and (b) 2050 (i) with and (ii) without allowance for radiative forcing calculated at 2.7.

Karen Buck: Emissions from international flights do not currently count in the national inventories of greenhouse gas emissions, there being no international agreement yet on ways of allocating such emissions. There is, therefore, no agreed definition for UK aviation. In order to provide illustrative figures we have previously provided data based on a number of assumptions—that the UK takes responsibility for emissions from all departing flights, that all other sectors of the economy reduce their CO 2 emissions in line with the Energy White Paper goal. These figures do not take into account the impact of economic instruments like emissions trading.
	The Department for Transport provided an illustrative table showing the relative contribution of aviation to UK emissions to the Environmental Audit Committee (published on 7 June 2004 in "Aviation: Sustainability and the Government Response", HC 623). On this basis, aviation would be responsible for 15.2 per cent. of UK CO 2 emissions in 2030 and 21.3 per cent. in 2050. Using a radiative forcing factor of 2.7, aviation would be responsible for 27.6 per cent. in 2030 and 34.3 per cent. in 2050 of the UK's contribution to global warming.
	The Air Transport White Paper sets out the Government's belief that the best way of ensuring aviation contributes towards the goal of climate stabilisation would be through a well-designed emissions trading regime, for which we are pressing at international and European level. We are working through the International Civil Aviation Organisation towards an international emissions trading scheme for aviation—this is consistent with the request to ICAO from the UN Climate Change Convention for action on aviation emissions. We are also pursuing the inclusion of aviation in the EU emissions trading scheme. The details of how a scheme would work in practice, like the overall cap and the distribution of allowances between member states will be subject to discussion with other member states' governments.

Fair Trade

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his Department's policy is on the procurement of fair trade produce for consumption on its premises.

Karen Buck: I can confirm that our policy on catering is to source items from fair trade producers wherever possible within the boundaries set by the public procurement rules and value for money policies. In addition, as part of any tendering process for the supply of catering services to the Department, we specify that the contractor should take account and support the Department in our response to the relevant parts of the Government's "Strategy for Sustainable Farming and Food—Facing the Future". This sets out the Government's aims and objectives for sustainability within the farming and food sectors, contributing to a better environment and healthy and prosperous communities.
	Products that are consistently purchased which typically relate to this ethos are fair trade bulk brew filter coffee and down to earth fair trade enveloped tea as part of our hospitality arrangements. These products are also made available in staff restaurants as well as fair trade sweets and chocolate, free range eggs and organic pasta.

Parking Fines

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what changes the Government have made to guidance to highways authorities on parking (a) spaces, (b) charges and (c) fines, since May 1997.

Karen Buck: Since May 1997 the Secretary of State has amended paragraphs 4.9 to 4.29 of Local Authority Circular 1/95—"Guidance on Decriminalised Parking Enforcement Outside London"—which deals with the parking charges and penalty charges set by local authorities. The Mayor for London is responsible for guidance to local authorities in London.

Gulf War-related Illnesses

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is his latest assessment of the (a) scale, (b) nature and (c) causes of Gulf War-related illnesses.

Don Touhig: Over 53,000 United Kingdom Servicemen and women deployed to the Gulf in 1990–91. We do not know how many UK Gulf veterans are ill or what illnesses they have reported because there is no single database, not least with respect to those who have left the armed forces whose current records the Department does not hold. However, at the end of September 2005, some 2,960 Gulf veterans were in receipt of a war disablement pension and 2,445 veterans had received a gratuity for disablements assessed at under 20 per cent. There will be some overlap between those figures, as some individuals will have received first a gratuity and then, if this disablement has become more severe, a pension. The awards will not necessarily relate to the individual's service in the Gulf and we would expect a substantial proportion to relate to non-Gulf service.
	In some cases veterans' illnesses are due to disorders which are unrelated to service. The majority will be musculo-skeletal conditions relating most commonly to injuries sustained in training, operations or fitness activities. Others are recognised medical conditions such as PTSD, where service links may again be accepted. A third group relates to multi-system, multi-organ, non-specific, medically unexplained symptoms and illnesses which epidemiological evidence shows are not specific to, but are more common among those who served in 1990–91.
	The pattern of ill health is not unique to UK Gulf veterans, and is repeated among 1990–91 Gulf veterans from the other coalition countries. Evidence so far suggests that this is unaffected by the specific experiences and exposures of the personnel concerned. Similar symptoms and illness are also reported among personnel who did not deploy. There is no consensus either in the US or the UK as to the causes of the non-specific conditions commonly covered by the umbrella term "Gulf War Syndrome".

Senior Officers

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) commodores and (b) admirals were on the active list in the Royal Navy in each year since 1997; and what the total strength of the Royal Navy was in each year.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 13 February 2006
	The numbers of Commodores/Brigadiers and Admirals/Generals on the Active List in the Royal Navy/Royal Marines each year since 1997 was:
	
		
			  Royal Navy Royal Marines 
			 As at April each year: Admirals Commodores Generals Brigadiers 
		
		
			 1997 40 (17)— 1 (17)— 
			 1998 40 (17)— 1 (17)— 
			 1999 40 (17)— 2 (17)— 
			 2000 40 (17)— 3 10 
			 2001 40 (17)— 4 4 
			 2002 40 7 4 7 
			 2003 40 10 4 8 
			 2004 40 40 4 7 
			 2005 50 50 4 7 
		
	
	(17) Brigadier/Commodores were not included as substantive ranks in the RN/RM Active list at these times.
	The total strength of the Royal Naval Services (RN/RM) each year since 1997, showing the Admirals/Commodores and equivalents included on the strength, was:
	
		
			  Adm/Gen Cdre/Brig Trained Strength Untrained Strength Total Strength 
		
		
			 April 1997 40 80 41,680 3,470 45,150 
			 April 1998 40 90 40,360 4,110 44,470 
			 April 1999 40 100 39,070 4,630 43,700 
			 April 2000 40 90 38,540 4,310 42,850 
			 April 2001 40 90 38,020 4,400 42,420 
			 April 2002 40 90 36,770 4,860 41,630 
			 April 2003 40 90 36,590 4,960 41,550 
			 April 2004 40 90 36,380 4,500 40,880 
			 April 2005 50 80 35,420 4,520 39,940 
			 December 2005 50 80 34,860 4,560 39,430 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. The Admiral/Commodore strengths above include Medical Officers and the Chaplain of the Fleet, who are not included on the Active List.
	2. The Active List figures includes some 4-star Admirals (between 7–11 over the period) who have retired and are not included in the regular strengths.
	3. Commodore/Brigadiers strengths include those who were classed as Commodores even before this was considered a separate substantive rank.
	4. Regular Strengths exclude Full Time Reserve Service and Mobilised Reservist.
	5. "Admirals" includes Rear Admirals and Vice Admirals, "Generals" includes Major Generals and Lieutenant Generals.
	6. All figures have been rounded to the nearest 10 except for figures under 10. Figures ending in 5 have been rounded to the nearest multiple of 20.

Iran

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate he has made of the number of sites in Iran that the Iranian Government are using in the research, development and production of nuclear technologies.

Kim Howells: In its report of November 2004, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) identified 22 facilities at nine locations as being "relevant to the implementation of Agency Safeguards". Under its voluntary implementation of the provisions of the additional protocol, Iran also declared a further four facilities at three additional locations.
	In connection with its voluntary suspension of enrichment-related activities, Iran also notified the IAEA of a number of engineering facilities involved in domestic manufacture of uranium enrichment centrifuge components. The IAEA has in addition sought access to sites at Lavisan-Shian and Parchin to establish whether any nuclear-related activities have taken place there.
	Further details can be found on the IAEA's website: www.iaea.org.

Middle East

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  what discussions the Government have had with (a) Israel and (b) the Palestinian Authority on ensuring that it fulfils its obligations under the Road Map;
	(2)  what the (a) current status and (b) future direction are of the Israeli-Palestinian Road Map.

Kim Howells: Neither side has met its full Phase One commitments. As my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary told the House on 7 February 2006, Official Report, column 735,
	"we, along with our EU partners, will continue to work with the Palestinians, the Israelis and the international community to make progress on the road map, to which both the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and the Israeli Government remain committed".

United Nations

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress has been made in developing the Multinational Stand-by Forces High Readiness Brigade for UN operations.

Jack Straw: The establishment of the multinational Stand-by Forces High Readiness Brigade in 1996 (SHIRBRIG) followed a recommendation from the UN Secretary General that UN member states should consider establishing a rapid deployment force to support UN peacekeeping operations. SHIRBRIG was established by Austria, Canada, Denmark, The Netherlands, Norway, Poland and Sweden. Fifteen countries now participate in the brigade, with a number of others taking part as observers.
	SHIRBRIG is available to take part in Security Council-mandated operations for a period of up to six months. It is able to provide an initial headquarters and planning capability as part of the start-up of an operation, or to deploy as a whole brigade as part of a UN peacekeeping operation.
	SHIRBRIG is made up of three elements: a Steering Committee which makes policy and oversees force generation and deployment; a Planning Element which serves as the nucleus for the force headquarters and plans for individual deployments; and a Brigade Pool of Forces consisting of the troops made available to SHIRBRIG by the participating countries. The Brigade aims to be able to deploy 4,000–5,000 troops.
	Since its inception, SHIRBRIG has made the following deployments:
	In 2000, SHIRBRIG deployed a headquarters, an infantry battalion and a headquarters company to the UN Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea.
	In March 2003, SHIRBRIG provided a planning team to assist the Economic Community of West African States in the planning of a peacekeeping mission in Côte d'Ivoire.
	In September 2003, SHIRBRIG deployed 20 members to assist the UN to form the core of the Interim UN headquarters in Liberia.
	In 2005, SHIRBRIG's Planning Element provided the core for the Headquarters of the new UN Mission in Sudan.

Departmental Entertainment

Oliver Heald: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how much was spent on entertainment by his Department in 2004–05, broken down by (a) food, (b) alcohol, (c) staff and (d) accommodation.

Jim Murphy: The Cabinet Office spent £571,940 on entertainment in 2004–05. Expenditure broken down into the four categories requested is not separately identifiable on the department's accounting system and is therefore only available at disproportionate cost.
	Entertainment expenditure includes working breakfasts or lunches, refreshments at meetings and all similar types of entertainment expenditure.
	All Cabinet Office expenditure on official entertainment is made in accordance with published departmental guidance on financial procedures and propriety, based on principles set out in "Government Accounting".

Adoption

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many children were adopted in each local authority area in 2005.

Maria Eagle: I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 11 November 2005, Official Report, column 801W. The publication "Children Looked After by Local Authorities Year Ending 31 March 2005" will be published by the Department in March 2006.

Bullying

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  what steps her Department is taking (a) to prevent (i) bullying and (ii) the causes of bullying and (b) to help those who are victims of bullying;
	(2)  how many children have changed schools as a result of being victims of bullying since 1997; and how many children have been (a) suspended and (b) expelled from school for bullying in that period;
	(3)  how much funding her Department made available for schools to tackle the problem of bullying in each academic year between 1997 and 2005;
	(4)  if she will make a statement on Government plans to tackle bullying;
	(5)  what support her Department provides to (a) ChildLine, (b) the NSPCC and (c) other charitable organisations to help them support victims of bullying;
	(6)  what research her Department has (a) commissioned and (b) published on bullying in schools since 1997;
	(7)  what training teachers receive to deal with bullying in schools; and how much funding her Department allocated for training teachers to deal with bullying in schools in (a) Leicester and (b) England in the last five years.

Jacqui Smith: This Government have given an unprecedented high profile to preventing bullying and supporting those who have been bullied. Our anti-bullying work, including the anti-bullying Charter for Action, takes an integrated approach to preventing bullying, to addressing causes of bullying—for example prejudice—and to helping those who are bullied.
	Since 1999 it has been compulsory for every school to have an anti-bullying policy in place which details how the school will tackle bullying.
	We have secured a very broad consensus, with all the teaching professional associations and the Anti Bullying Alliance signing up to our Anti-Bullying Charter for Action. The Charter is a voluntary commitment to creating a school community where bullying is not tolerated. In line with commitments outlined in the White Paper we re-issued the Charter during Anti-Bullying Week 2005 and therefore expect an increase in the number being returned to us via the ABA over the coming months. In 2006 we plan to share examples of where the Charter has been particularly well implemented with other schools, which can learn from this best practice.
	Through our work with the Anti-Bullying Alliance (ABA), an organisation comprising over 65 leading anti-bullying charities and experts, we provide schools and local authorities with expert help to tackle bullying.
	We have put more adults than ever in our schools—teachers, classroom assistants, learning mentors, Connexions personal advisers, Behaviour and Education Support Teams and police officers—so that a wide range of people are available to help prevent and tackle bullying.
	Further to the White Paper, in 2006 we shall issue guidance on prejudice driven bullying, including racist and homophobic bullying, providing school staff with valuable support in an area they often find challenging. We plan to launch our advice on countering racist bullying online at the end of February.
	Anti-bullying week continues to be a successful event with a large number of schools taking part in November 2005's activities through a wide variety of national and local events. There was a considerable amount of positive press coverage and this year over 325,000 wristbands were distributed.
	Our anti-bullying resource pack for schools "Bullying: Don't Suffer in Silence", updated in 2000 and September 2002 will be revised and re-issued in 2006 to ensure schools have the most up-to-date information available on tackling bullying.
	In addition the Department has recently launched the Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning (SEAL) curriculum resource—an intervention to develop children's social, emotional and behavioural skills from Foundation Stage to Year 6. It is available to all primary schools and the evidence from the pilot suggests that it helps reduce bullying and promotes positive behaviour generally. It is an important arm of the Department's longer term policy to promote positive behaviour and attendance. The Department is hoping to build on the work carried out in primary schools by providing a similar whole school curriculum based resource for secondary schools (SEBS). At present the programme is in a very early pilot stage.
	Data on bullying is not collected centrally and thus there is no reliable basis for an estimate of how many children have changed schools as a result of being bullied.
	The first time the reason for exclusion was collected was in the academic year 2003/04. In that year 150 pupils were permanently excluded and 6,750 were given fixed period exclusions for bullying. This information comes from the Statistical First Release on "Permanent and Fixed Period Exclusion from Schools and Exclusion Appeals in England, 2003/04".
	Funds for schools to devote to anti-bullying work form part of their overall budgets; they are not ring fenced so we have no information on how much they have devoted to this.
	The figures for the anti-bullying strand of the Improving Behaviour and Attendance strategy, which is used centrally to support schools and local authorities in their anti bullying work, are given as follows:
	
		
			  Amount (£) 
		
		
			 2002/03 184,000 
			 2003/04 1,054,000 
			 2004/05 1,613,000 
			 2005/06 1,145,000 
		
	
	Figures for earlier years are not available because the anti-bullying strand of behaviour work was not disaggregated.
	In 2005/06 the Department has contributed a further £200,000 of funding to CHIPS (ChildLine in Partnership with Schools). The CHIPS scheme encourages young people to set up programmes, with the help of ChildLine and their teachers, to support their peers and to create safe environments in which to learn.
	We note that ChildLine and the NSPCC have recently joined forces and we hope to continue working with both in their joint efforts to protect and support those who have been bullied.
	We have provided the ABA, with £600,000 of funding for the 2005/06 period.
	The Department has committed £200,000 for 2005/06 to Parent Line Plus, a telephone advice line for parents offering guidance on a range of subjects. Between April 2003 and March 2004 21 per cent. of all calls received related to bullying. In conjunction with the DFES and the ABA, the line can also refer parents who have not received satisfactory help at a local level to a one to one advice line.
	The Diana Memorial Award for anti-bullying was launched in 2004 and highlights the achievements of young people trying to tackle bullying in their school or community. The Department has shown its continuing support for this initiative by contributing £50,000 of funding for 2005/06.
	Our guidance to schools on tackling bullying, "Don't Suffer in Silence", has been externally evaluated by researchers at Goldsmith's College, University of London. The results, though based on a fairly low response rate from schools, show that the schools found that the pack met their expectations and helped in drawing up their anti-bullying policies.
	This evaluation included research into the perceived success of the anti bullying strategies and interventions recommended in the guidance. Schools generally reported a high level of satisfaction with the interventions they had used.
	The Department commissioned the Thomas Coram Research Unit at the Institute of Education, University of London, to review the research evidence relating to homophobia in schools and to talk to groups with an interest in this area. The Department published their work in its Research Report series in late 2004, number 594, entitled "Homophobia, Sexual Orientation and Schools: A Review and Implications for Action".
	Training has been provided in each Government Office region through the Make The Difference conferences and through ABA training events and direct ABA work with individual schools. Training is also being provided through dissemination events linked to forthcoming advice on countering prejudice driven bullying.
	Through the National Strategies the Department makes high-quality staff training materials on managing behaviour, including bullying, available to all schools. In addition each local authority is also supported by at least one expert Behaviour and Attendance consultant in each local authority.
	Through the National Programme for Specialist Leaders of Behaviour and Attendance (NPSL-BA), the Department has developed a programme for training specialist staff who have leadership roles in relation to behaviour and attendance, including anti-bullying.
	In addition our resources such as the Charter and "Don't Suffer in Silence" offer further support and advice to teachers in this area.
	As anti-bullying training funding is not disaggregated or devolved directly, it is not possible to identify national funds or funds for Leicester.

Education Maintenance Allowance

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many students in Bristol were in receipt of education maintenance allowance at the rate of (a) £30, (b) £20 and (c) £10 per week in the last year for which figures are available.

Maria Eagle: This is a matter for the Learning and Skills Council, who operate Education Maintenance Allowances for the DfES and hold the information about take-up of the scheme. Mark Haysom, the Council's Chief Executive, has written to my hon. Friend with the information requested and a copy of his reply has been placed in the House Library.
	Letter from Mark Haysom, dated 30 January 2006
	I am writing in response to your Parliamentary Question that asked "how many students in Bristol were in receipt of education maintenance allowance at the rate of (a) £30, (b) £20 and (c) £10 per week in the last year for which figures are available."
	During the academic year 2004/05 the number of young people who had received one or more EMA payments in City of Bristol Local Education Authority area was 1,484.
	EMA is awarded in three defined payment bands of £30, £20 and £10, depending on household income. In Bristol Local Education Authority area the take-up of EMA by payment band is split as follows: 1,138 on £30 per week, 168 on £20 per week and 178 on £10 per week.
	I hope this information is helpful and addresses your question. If you would like further details please contact Chris Bradley at the LSC National Office on 0114 207 4512 or Christopher.Bradley@lsc.gov.uk

Learning Difficulties

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what support and services are available in (a) Staffordshire and (b) Tamworth constituency for new parents whose children have been diagnosed at birth as suffering from learning difficulties; and whether she plans to increase this assistance.

Maria Eagle: The Government are committed to improving services for all children and their families, including those with learning disabilities. The Every Child Matters programme, alongside the implementation of the National Service Framework for Children, Young People and Maternity Services and the Government's SEN strategy "Removing Barriers to Achievement", supports and promotes early intervention to help families of very young disabled children and special educational needs. In particular, the Government's Early Support Programme has been funded to improve support to parents of disabled children aged 0–3 and to provide timely interventions at the very earliest stages of disabilities being identified. All local authorities have now been asked to begin using the Early Support approaches and can access the resource materials to help improve services for families with young disabled children. The roll out of Sure Start Children's Centres across the country will also improve the integrated support provided to families with children under five who are disabled or who have special educational needs.
	In the Staffordshire area there are currently three designated Children's Centres. Although none of these are in the Tamworth constituency, the Tamworth Sure Start Local Programme and another early years centre in the constituency are planning to become children's centres in 2006–07. Across the county, child development centres (which provide specialist health support services to children with disabilities and SEN) are being co-located with children's centres.
	As well as mainstream services, families of children with learning disabilities are entitled to access a range of specialist local authority and health support services, such as the Parent Partnership service and portage services providing home based support to parents. Details about these local services are not collected centrally and to do so would incur disproportionate cost.

Specialist Schools/Colleges

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to the answer of 14 November 2005 to the hon. Member for Bognor Regis and Littlehampton, Official Report, column 952W, on selection, what method is used to (a) identify pupils as being able to benefit from targeted teaching in a particular subject and (b) assess the pupils who demonstrate a special capacity to succeed in a particular subject; and what guidance is given on this to specialist schools that select on aptitude in the relevant subject.

Jacqui Smith: Admission authorities are responsible for determining how to assess aptitude. Legislation requires them to ensure that tests do not assess general academic ability or aptitude for any subject other than the subject in question, and are free of racial or gender bias. The School Admissions Code of Practice gives further guidance on what the law permits. And the Schools Adjudicator has upheld objections to admission arrangements where he has found that there is no established test for, or objective assessment against, published criteria.
	The Specialist Schools Trust also provides advice on admissions, which emphasises that tests should not "drift into assessing ability or general aptitude, by checking that the ability profile of those selected by aptitude is representative of all applicants, [and] adjusting testing if it is not."

Youth Services

Nick Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much public funding was available for youth services in (a) the constituency of Ruislip-Northwood, (b) the London borough of Hillingdon, (c) Greater London and (d) England in each of the last 10 years.

Maria Eagle: Youth services through the local authority and information about the level of funding is collected by local education authority (LEA) area. This information has only been available separately since 2000. It is not possible to provide information about Youth Service funding below LEA level in order to show the funding for Ruislip-Northwood.
	Youth Service funding levels are as follows:
	
		
			£ 
			 Financial year England Greater London Hillingdon LEA 
		
		
			 2000–01 288,026,510 57,569,841 1,446,973 
			 2001–02 306,761,605 64,770,072 1,473,203 
			 2002–03 316,288,138 65,838,535 1,777,011 
			 2003–04 343,364,777 67,393,083 2,132,885 
			 2004–05 364,015,547 65,839,152 2,284,148 
			 2005–06 383,662,949 69,415,404 3,072,659 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. The data are drawn from section 52 Budget statements submitted to the Department by all 150 local education authorities.
	2. The 2001–02 and 2002–03 figures also include any Local Authority Youth Service provision that contributed to the delivery of the Connexions Service plus any Connexions Service specific funding.
	3. 2005–06 data are subject to change by LEAs.

Means-tested Benefits

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps his Department is taking to increase awareness among entitled people of the means-tested benefits for which they are eligible.

Stephen Timms: We want everybody to claim the benefits to which they are entitled. Information on the range of benefits we administer is widely available.
	The Department is currently, with local authorities support, running publicity and marketing take up campaigns this winter, aimed at encouraging people who are entitled to council tax benefit to make a claim.
	In addition, the Pension Service has written to every pensioner household informing them about pension credit and there have been a number of campaign initiatives such as the "You're Missing Out" direct mailings and adverts in national newspapers. The Pension Service's local service are also visiting around 23,000 pensioners households each week to offer a full benefit entitlement check.
	Since September 2005, existing pension credit customers were contacted and invited to claim council tax benefit and/or housing benefit. From December 2005 customers who contact the pension credit application line to make an application for pension credit have been invited to claim these benefits as well.

Post Office Card Account

Alan Reid: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 6 February 2006, Official Report, columns 597–8W, if he will list the 25 different bank accounts referred to; and whether each allows customers to make at least 52 withdrawals each year at post offices without incurring bank charges.

James Plaskitt: holding answer 13 February 2006
	Customers who hold basic bank accounts with one of a wide range of high street banks can use any post office branch to make an unlimited number of cash withdrawals free of charge. Such banks are: Abbey; Alliance and Leicester; Bank of Ireland; Bank of Scotland; Barclays; Clydesdale Bank; Co-operative Bank; First Trust; Halifax; HSBC; Lloyds TSB; Nationwide; NatWest; Northern Bank; Royal Bank of Scotland; Ulster Bank and Yorkshire Bank. These accounts and their features are listed in the FSA leaflet "Basic Bank Accounts—your questions answered".
	Some banks enable their current account customers to withdraw cash over the counter at post office branches, free of charge and without restriction on the number of withdrawals. Banks which offer this service include: Alliance and Leicester; Bank of Ireland; Barclays; Clydesdale Bank; Co-operative Bank; First Direct (Scotland only), Lloyds TSB, Nationwide Building Society and the internet banks smile and cahoot.

Antisocial Behaviour Orders

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many recipients of an antisocial behaviour order have been reconvicted of a criminal offence within two years.

Hazel Blears: The information requested is not available.
	The Home Office's public service agreement (PSA) five specifies re-offending targets in terms of a reduction in the re-offending rate, the start point of which is an offender being discharged from a custodial sentence or starting a community sentence.
	Antisocial behaviour orders, which are civil orders not criminal penalties, are not routinely measured. National re-offending rates are published annually to monitor the Home Office's progress against PSA five. The most recent data are published in 'Adult re-offending: results from the 2002 cohort'. "Home Office Statistical Bulletin 25/05". This is available on the Home Office's website: http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/hosbpubs1.html.

Closing the Gap Report

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 17 January 2006, Official Report, column 1266W, on the "Closing the Gap" report, whether (a) ministers and (b) officials provided comment to Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary as a result of the briefing on "Closing the Gap" prior to 13 September 2005.

Hazel Blears: holding answer 20 January 2006
	Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary sought and received comments from various sources as they finalised the "Closing the Gap" report. These were taken into account as appropriate prior to publication on 13 September 2005.

Homosexuality

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  under what powers police may question individuals about their stated views on homosexuality; and what guidance he provides to police forces on this issue;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the effect on free speech of police questioning of individuals about their stated views on homosexuality.

Hazel Blears: The Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 and accompanying codes of practice sets out police powers in respect of the questioning of a person suspected of involvement in an offence. The Home Office and the Association of Chief Police Officers jointly produced good practice and tactical guidance in March 2005 entitled: "Hate Crime: Delivering a Quality Service". The guidance is available on the ACPO website.

Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent guidance has been issued to (a) health staff, (b) social services staff and (c) court personnel on dealing with cases of Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy.

Maria Eagle: I have been asked to reply.
	In 2002, the Department of Health, Home Office, Department for Education and Skills and the Welsh Assembly published "Safeguarding Children in whom Illness is Fabricated or Induced", as supplementary guidance to the Government's child protection guidance "Working Together to Safeguard Children" (1999). It is intended to provide a national framework within which agencies and professionals at local level—individually and jointly—draw up and agree upon their own more detailed ways of working together in cases of fabricated or induced illness. It is addressed to those who work in the health and education services, the police, social services departments, the probation service, and others whose work brings them into contact with children and families.

Prisons

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of prisoners was in each category on 31 March in each of the last five years.

Fiona Mactaggart: The percentage of prisoners by category (A, B, C, D, "Other") on 31 March 2005 and the previous two years is shown in the following table. The information is not held prior to 2003.
	
		Category of prisoners
		
			 Percentage 
			  31 March 2003 31 March 2004 31 March 2005 
		
		
			 Cat As 1 1 1 
			 Cat Bs 12 11 11 
			 Cat Cs 43 44 45 
			 Cat Ds 7 7 7 
			 Other population 38 37 36 
			 Total population 100 100 100

Rape Crisis Organisations

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many rape crisis organisations received funding from his Department in each of the last five years; and how much each organisation received.

Paul Goggins: The Home Office funded the Rape Crisis Federation, an umbrella body for local rape crisis groups, from April 2001 until its closure in November 2003.
	Funding in the financial years between 2001 and 2004 was as follows:
	
		
			   Amount (£) 
		
		
			 (a) 2001–02 406,000 
			 (b) 2002–03 432,000 
			 (c) 2003–04 209,800 
		
	
	In 2004, £4 million was placed in the victims fund to support the development of services for victims of sexual offending, over two financial years. The following table sets out the grant awards for the rape crisis organisations that have been successful in securing funding from the victims fund.
	
		
			   £ 
			 Organisation 2004–05 2005–06 
		
		
			 Barnsley Sexual Abuse and Rape Crisis Helpline — 40,000 
			 Cornwell Rape and Sexual Abuse Centre 8,120 36,000 
			 Coventry Rape and Sexual Abuse Centre 4,910 — 
			 Colchester Rape Crisis Line 35,450 35,000 
			 Croydon Rape and Sexual Abuse Centre 27,080 40,000 
			 Doncaster Rape and Sexual Abuse Counselling Centre 3,066 36,150 
			 Guildford Rape and Sexual Abuse Centre — 40,000 
			 Grimsby and Scunthorpe Rape Crisis 6,102 24,405 
			 Merseyside Rape and Sexual Abuse Centre 12,672 22,500 
			 New Pathways 16,500 25,00 
			 Nottingham Rape Crisis — 26,515 
			 Rape-Crisis Co-ordination Group 18,200 30,800 
			 South Essex Rape and Incest Crisis Centre (SERICC) 31,520 30,000 
			 Southampton Rape and Sexual Abuse Counselling Service 3,700 35,000 
			 West Cumbria Rape Crisis — 35,000 
			 Worchester Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Centre 23,439 24,142 
			 Total 190,759 431,370

Reoffending

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the recidivism rate was among prisoners in the Cambridgeshire Probation Service area within two years of release in each year since 1997.

Fiona Mactaggart: Re-offending rates are not currently available on a sub-national basis.
	National re-offending rates are published annually. The most recent data are published in 'Adult re-offending: results from the 2002 cohort'. "Home Office Statistical Bulletin 25/05". This is available on the Home Office's website: http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/hosbpubs1.html. The report shows the re-offending rate of offenders released from prison for 2002 and 2000.
	Reconviction data for 1997 through 2000 were published in 'Prison statistics England and Wales 2002' and data for 2001 were published in 'Offender Management Caseload Statistics 2003'. Both of these are publications are available on the Home Office website.

Under-age Drinking

John Randall: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prosecutions have taken place for underage drinking in Uxbridge in each year since 1990.

Hazel Blears: There is no specific offence of under-age drinking.
	However, the available information from the Court Proceedings database held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform, gives the number of defendants aged 10–17 years who were proceeded against in Uxbridge PSA, for offences of being drunk, drunk at a designated sports event and drunk and disorderly together with defendants proceeded against for the offence of: "Selling etc., intoxicating liquor to persons under 18 for consumption on the premises", 1990–2004. Please see following table.
	Statistics for 2005 will be available in the autumn.
	
		Number of defendants proceeded against in Uxbridge PSA for alcohol related offences involving under 18-year-olds, 1990 to 2004(66)
		
			  Offence description Principal statute 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 
		
		
			  Defendants aged 10–17 years 
			 14001 Drunk in a highway or other public place whether a building or not, or on licensed premises Licensing Act 1872 s.12 — — 1 — — — — 
			   
			 14362 Drunk in, or when entering, a designated sports event Sporting Events (Control of Alcohol etc.) Act 1985 s.2(2) — — — — — — — 
			   
			 14101 Being guilty, while drunk, of disorderly behaviour Criminal Justice Act 1967 s.91 2 6 — — 4 3 — 
			   
			  All defendants 
			 14203 Selling etc. intoxicating liquor to person under 18 for consumption on the premises Licensing Act 1964 s.169A and B as added by Licensing (Young Persons) Act 2000 s.1 — 4 — 2 — 1 — 
		
	
	
		
			  Offence description Principal statute 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 
		
		
			  Defendants aged 10–17 years  
			 14001 Drunk in a highway or other public place whether a building or not, or on licensed premises Licensing Act 1872 s.12 — — — 1 — — — — 
			
			 14362 Drunk in, or when entering, a designated sports event Sporting Events (Control of Alcohol etc.) Act 1985 s.2(2) — — — — — — — — 
			
			 14101 Being guilty, while drunk, of disorderly behaviour Criminal Justice Act 1967 s.91 — 4 2 6 7 9 5 8 
			
			  All defendants  
			 14203 Selling etc. intoxicating liquor to person under 18 for consumption on the premises Licensing Act 1964 s.169A and B as added by Licensing (Young Persons) Act 2000 s.1 — 1 2 — — — 13 8 
		
	
	(66) These data are on the principal offence basis

Ambulance Service

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will issue guidance to ambulance trusts to ensure that first responders are not used as a substitute for fully equipped ambulances in life-threatening situations.

Liam Byrne: Guidance is set out in the statistical bulletin, "Ambulance services, England: 2004–05" which states that an emergency response may be by:
	an emergency ambulance: or
	a rapid response vehicle equipped with a defibrillator to provide treatment at the scene; or
	an approved first responder equipped with a defibrillator, despatched by and accountable to the ambulance service.
	Although the initial emergency response may be to send a rapid response vehicle or approved first responder, a fully equipped Ambulance vehicle able to transport the patient in a clinically safe manner is still required to attend the incident within 14 minutes of the initial call in urban areas and within 19 minutes in rural areas.
	Both these standards are exceeded nationally, with in 2004–05, 76.2 percent, of category A calls receiving an initial response within eight minutes and 96 percent, of category A calls attended by a fully equipped ambulance within the 14 and 19 minute standards.

Avian Influenza

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans are in place in the UK to tackle an H5N1 influenza pandemic; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: It is important to be clear about the differences between seasonal influenza, avian influenza and pandemic influenza. Avian influenza is a disease which mainly affects birds. Seasonal influenza refers to the virus that circulates in the human population and causes widespread illness each winter. Pandemic influenza will only occur after an avian virus has mutated into a novel strain which can spread easily between humans and to which they do not have immunity.
	The United Kingdom has had a national influenza pandemic plan since 1997 and was one of the first countries to publish a pandemic plan. This plan has been updated and the Government published the revised, "UK Influenza Pandemic Contingency Plan" on 19 October 2005. The revised plan outlines the actions that Government and other authorities are taking to prepare for a possible pandemic, and the actions that different organisations would take in the event of a pandemic to slow down the spread of infection and minimise disruption. The plan can be accessed on the Department's website at: www.dh.gov.uk/pandemicflu.

Community Hospitals

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many community hospitals there are in England.

Liam Byrne: The newly published White Paper "Our health, our care, our say: a new direction for community services" is available in the Library and on the Department's website at: www.dh.gov.uk/assetRoot/04/12/74/59/04127459.pdf.
	Paragraph 6.41 of this publication states that:
	'It is estimated that there are 350 community hospitals in England, if we use the definition of a community hospital as 'a service which offers integrated health and social care and is supported by community-based professionals'.

Community Hospitals

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the number of community hospitals which may close as a result of primary care trust deficits.

Liam Byrne: The Department has carried out no such assessment.
	However, the newly published White Paper, "Our health, our care, our say: a new direction for community services" makes clear that community facilities should not be closed in response to short-term budgetary pressures that are not related to the viability of the community facility itself.

Community Hospitals

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to her oral statement of 30 January 2006, Official Report, columns 21–38W, 
	(1)  on health and social care services, whether Bicester will be the location of one of the new generation of community hospitals with intermediate beds;
	(2)  how many new community hospitals she expects will be built as part of the new generation of community hospitals; how many of these she expects will have intermediate beds; and what new money will be provided for the (a) construction and (b) running of new community hospitals.

Liam Byrne: As confirmed in the recent White Paper 'Our health, our care, our say: a new direction for community services', the Government fully intends to fulfil their manifesto commitment to develop a new generation of modern national health service community hospitals over the next five years. To make this possible an initial capital investment of £100 million to build, rebuild, or refurbish at least 50 community hospitals has been identified.
	However, configuration of local service provision facilities remains a matter for primary care trusts. Paragraph 6.44 of the white paper explains that the Department will be inviting:
	"interested primary care trusts, where appropriate working with local authority partners, to bid for capital support for reinvestment in the new generation of community hospitals and smaller facilities offering local, integrated health and social care services. This will provide the opportunity to create many new community hospitals, as we have done with LIFT projects, and to expand services on existing community hospital sites if more appropriate. The details of the timing and the tender process will be published in a separate document in mid-2006."

Dentistry

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many self-employed dentists have been contracted to the NHS in each of the past 30 years.

Rosie Winterton: Most general dental practitioners are self-employed contractors working in general dental services (GDS) and personal dental services (PDS). The number of CDS and PDS dentists in England and Wales as at 30 September-each year is shown in the table.
	
		
			  Number of dentists 
		
		
			 1976 12,360 
			 1977 12,517 
			 1978 12,758 
			 1979 13,039 
			 1980 13,473 
			 1981 13,936 
			 1982 14,374 
			 1983 14,780 
			 1984 15,076 
			 1985 15,076 
			 1986 15,256 
			 1987 15,545 
			 1988 15,868 
			 1989 16,178 
			 1990 16,234 
			 1991 16,263 
			 1992 16,221 
			 1993 16,608 
			 1994 16,725 
			 1995 16,818 
			 1996 17,220 
			 1997 17,633 
			 1998 18,265 
			 1999 18,826 
			 2000 19,218 
			 2001 19,736 
			 2002 19,969 
			 2003 20,292 
			 2004 20,751 
			 2005 21,755 
		
	
	Notes:
	PDS dentistry began in 1998 and therefore, the figures for 1975–1997 are GDS only dentists.
	Source:
	Dental Practice Board

Finished Consultant Episodes (Costs)

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will give the average cost per finished consultant episode, broken down by specialty, for each health authority in England in the last year for which records are available.

Liam Byrne: The table shows the reference cost index score for health authorities (HA) in 2002–03, the latest year for which data is available. The reference cost index score compares the cost incurred by national health service providers with the expected cost for the providers level of activity, were they providers to be operating at national average costs. A score of 100 indicates operational at national average costs, above 100 indicates operational at above national average costs and below 100 below national average costs.
	
		
			 HA name HA index adjusted for market forces factor 
		
		
			 Hillingdon 102 
			 Kensington and Chelsea and Westminster 106 
			 Redbridge and Waltham Forest 102 
			 Bedfordshire 95 
			 Berkshire 96 
			 Buckinghamshire 99 
			 Croydon 102 
			 West Kent 103 
			 Kingston and Richmond 99 
			 Lambeth, Southwark and Lewisham 104 
			 Merton, Sutton and Wandsworth 108 
			 East Surrey 105 
			 West Surrey 98 
			 East Sussex, Brighton and Hove 104 
			 West Sussex 102 
			 Barking and Havering 103 
			 Brent and Harrow 100 
			 Camden and Islington 101 
			 Ealing, Hammersmith and Hounslow 94 
			 East London and the City 99 
			 North Essex 103 
			 South Essex 92 
			 South Lancashire 103 
			 Liverpool 108 
			 Manchester 117 
			 Morecambe Bay 101 
			 St. Helens and Knowsley 97 
			 Salford and Trafford 96 
			 Sefton 93 
			 Stockport 100 
			 West Pennine 97 
			 Northamptonshire 91 
			 Oxfordshire 111 
			 Suffolk 89 
			 Barnsley 102 
			 North Derbyshire 94 
			 Southern Derbyshire 94 
			 Doncaster 91 
			 Leicestershire 100 
			 Lincolnshire 102 
			 North Nottinghamshire 97 
			 Nottingham 84 
			 Rotherham 98 
			 Sheffield 102 
			 Bury and Rochdale 100 
			 North Cheshire 104 
			 South Cheshire 94 
			 East Lancashire 91 
			 North-west Lancashire 97 
			 North and mid Hampshire 99 
			 Southampton and South-west Hampshire 97 
			 Somerset 100 
			 South and West Devon 98 
			 Wiltshire 100 
			 Avon 113 
			 Birmingham 108 
			 Wigan and Bolton 87 
			 Wirral 100 
			 Bradford 107 
			 County Durham and Darlington 96 
			 East Riding and Hull ha 101 
			 Gateshead and South Tyneside 98 
			 Leeds 112 
			 Newcastle and North Tyneside 96 
			 North Cumbria 109 
			 South Humber 102 
			 Northumberland 92 
			 Sunderland 97 
			 Tees 92 
			 Wakefield 99 
			 North Yorkshire 91 
			 Calderdale and Kirklees 99 
			 Cornwall and Isles of Scilly 94 
			 Dorset 90 
			 North and East Devon 91 
			 Gloucestershire 98 
			 Coventry 102 
			 Dudley 108 
			 Herefordshire 105 
			 Sandwell 108 
			 Shropshire 98 
			 Solihull no providers hosted 
			 North Staffordshire 102 
			 South Staffordshire 101 
			 Walsall 100 
			 Warwickshire 87 
			 Wolverhampton 94 
			 Worcestershire 111 
			 Cambridgeshire l98 
			 Norfolk 88 
			 Isle of Wight, Portsmouth and South-east Hampshire 97 
			 Barnet, Enfield and Haringey 108 
			 Hertfordshire 95 
			 Bexley, Bromley and Greenwich 104 
		
	
	Source:
	NHS reference costs

Health Service Finance

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many acute trusts which are in deficit have an operational private finance initiative (PFI) scheme; and in how many such trusts the annual PFI charge is more than a quarter of the deficit.

Jane Kennedy: I refer the hon. Member for Great Grimsby to the reply I gave on 3 November 2005, Official Report, column 1347W. All nine national health service trusts reported as having an operational private finance initiative (PFI) scheme have annual unitary charges that are ore than a quarter of the deficit.
	Unitary payments on a PFI scheme—paid for from a trust's general revenue allocations—include elements for hard and soft facilities management services, financing costs as well as ensuring the availability of the facility.

Health White Paper

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she plans to initiate the review of personal medical services funding described in paragraph 3.31, of the White Paper, "Our Health, Our Care, Our Say"; in which financial year she expects the findings of the review to be implemented; and if she will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: We plan to commence initial work on the review in the spring. Findings of the review, including any proposals for implementation, are due to be completed by early 2007.

Health White Paper

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she plans to publish the review of General Medical Services funding described in paragraph 3.30, of the "White Paper, Our Health, Our Care, Our Say"; who is conducting the review; and if she will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: The group undertaking this review is chaired by NHS Employers and includes membership drawn from each of the four United Kingdom health departments, the general practitioner committee of the British Medical Association, the national health service as well as commissioned academic and technical support.
	It is anticipated that the group will report on its findings and recommendations during 2006–07.

Hip Replacements

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to her opinion piece in The Independent on 19 January, what the evidential basis is for her statement that hip replacements are 20 percent. lower among lower social groups despite a 30 percent. higher need.

Liam Byrne: The evidential basis was from a study published in the British Journal of General Practice, 1995 Mar;45(392); 127–31. "From the surgery to the surgeon: does deprivation influence consultation and operation rates?"

Medicinal Products

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what role her Department plays in promoting innovation in and development of new medicinal products; and what support it gives to small and medium sized enterprises for such purposes.

Jane Kennedy: Through the pharmaceutical price regulation scheme (PPRS), the Department seeks to achieve a balance between reasonable prices for the national health service and a fair return for the industry to enable it to research, develop and market new and improved medicines. The 2005 scheme provides significant support for research and development (R and D) and innovation through improved allowances to a maximum of 28 percent., of NHS sales including greater incentives for innovative medicines and those for children. The scheme allows for flexibility with regard to the circumstances of individual small companies. The scheme also allows freedom of pricing for new innovative medicines at their United Kingdom launch and allows a return on capital of almost 30 percent., before profits have to be repaid or prices reduced.
	The Department provides the NHS with the support and infrastructure it needs to conduct research for the benefit of patients and the wider public, including clinical trials to evaluate the safety and efficacy of potential new medicinal products. This infrastructure is open to our partners, including industry. Implementation of the Department's new strategy for research in the NHS published last month, "Best Research for Best Health", will establish the UK as a world class environment for medical research, development and innovation, through a programme of investment and reforms to enable medicines to be developed more quickly and more cheaply.
	The Department has asked the UK Clinical Research Collaboration, which brings together the public, private and voluntary sector, to hold a futures forum to advise Ministers on priority areas for innovation in healthcare. The aim of this is to foster a better common understanding between policy makers and those developing new therapies on the priority areas for future innovation.

Private Finance Initiative Scheme

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what progress has been made in signing the contract for the private finance initiative scheme at Broomfield hospital, Chelmsford; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 31 January 2006
	The full business case (FBC) for this scheme has been prepared and submitted to Essex strategic health authority (SHA) for approval. Following publication of' "The NHS in England: the operating framework for 2006–07" on 26 January, the SHA will now need to revalidate the approval parameters for the scheme by responding to a range of questions from the Department concerning factors such as long-term affordability, assumptions on efficiency gains and income growth, liquidity, activity shift and reference cost. The SHA will then need to have its conclusions ratified by the Department before proceeding.

Smoking

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people her Department estimates died from smoking-related illnesses in the last year for which figures are available.

Caroline Flint: "The smoking epidemic in England", published by the Health Development Agency in November 2004, estimated that, in England, 86,500 deaths a year were attributed to smoking.
	A copy is available in the Library.

Smoking

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research into the effects of second-hand smoke from tobacco products her Department has (a) evaluated and (b) commissioned.

Caroline Flint: The Governments 1998 White Paper "Smoking Kills" sets out in Chapter 1 some of the major fatal diseases and conditions caused by smoking and passive smoking. For each disease and cause of death quoted there is a reference to relevant studies and/or source documents.
	The 1998 Report of the Scientific Committee on Tobacco and Health (SCOTH) provided fuller information on fatal and other disease caused by smoking and second hand smoke. The 2004 Report by SCOTH, "Secondhand Smoke: Review of Evidence since 1998", states that new evidence reinforces and strengthens the conclusion in the 1998 report that second hand smoke is a substantial public health hazard.
	Copies of these documents are available in the Library.